Before going away for a Singapore public holiday in 2027, establish when the last person leaves home and when someone will actually return. Then assign the essentials: secure access, finish cooking and charging, decide which equipment must keep operating, deal with visible faults, pause deliveries and confirm any care visits. One short household note, agreed with the people involved, is usually more useful than a long checklist that nobody owns.
Start with the home you have. A refrigerator containing food, an aquarium system or equipment supporting somebody who remains at home needs a different decision from an unused television or charger. Use manufacturer instructions and qualified advice for technical questions. Arrange help before departure, give the helper a specific job and finish the arrangement when you return. The aim is to leave a home that can run as intended during your absence.
- Count the period the home is actually empty, including early departures and late arrivals.
- Name the person doing the final check, especially when household members leave separately.
- Separate equipment that must remain operating from unused appliances that can be switched off.
- Confirm authorized access and the exact tasks accepted by a trusted helper.
- Pause deliveries, address stagnant water and connect pet or plant care to the real absence.
- Agree how to handle a changed return, then confirm when responsibility passes back to you.
Checked 9 November 2026, Singapore time. This guide concerns household preparation for a finite holiday absence. The official MOM 2027 holiday announcement establishes public holiday dates; individual work, school and care availability must be checked separately. Examples, visit arrangements and prices below are invented to explain decisions. Actual home conditions, service terms and current official advice govern your arrangements.
EDUKATE · PUBLIC HOLIDAYS 2027
Prepare the home for your absence
Start with the decision in front of you, or read the chapters in order.
Agree the household handover
Count the empty-home window, divide tasks and confirm useful access and contact details. ROUTE 2 · CHAPTERS 5–8
Prepare the home systems
Decide what stays powered, resolve concerns and arrange appropriate plant care. ROUTE 3 · CHAPTERS 9–12
Finish the departure
Confirm deliveries, connect care arrangements and prepare for a changed return. ROUTE 4 · CHAPTERS 13–16
Apply and close the plan
Work through two household examples, answer common questions and complete the return handover.
CHAPTER 1 OF 16 · Agree the household handover
1. Count the absence from the last departure to the first return
A travel booking records when a traveller leaves and comes back. A home plan records when the household stops having someone present. Those periods can differ by hours or days, particularly when one adult joins a trip later or returns earlier.
Write the expected last departure and first return as a date and time. Use arrival at the home, allowing for the journey from the airport or checkpoint. A flight landing at 10pm does not make somebody available to receive a parcel at 10pm. A relative who briefly visits also does not become a resident for the whole absence.
Identify who is staying
Ask each person who normally lives there what their plan actually is. A student may stay for an activity, a relative may be visiting, or a shift worker may leave after everyone else. Equipment, meals, access and ordinary household use must still work for that person.
Do not build the checklist around the person who made the booking. Build it around the people and responsibilities remaining in the home. When someone stays, agree which everyday tasks continue and which travel preparations would interfere with them.
Put the calendar in its proper place
Use the Public Holidays 2027 Singapore calendar to identify the relevant dates, then add your actual movements. An adjacent weekday is not automatically free. A helper might have work even while your family has leave.
The first useful output is a clear sentence: “The home is expected to be empty from Friday evening until Monday night; our agreed helper visits on Sunday.” Every later decision should fit that period.
CHAPTER 2 OF 16 · Agree the household handover
2. Divide the work before the departure morning
Household preparation often fails at the handover between people. One person thinks another has paused the groceries. The person packing the children's bags assumes somebody checked the kitchen. A task can feel familiar to everyone and still belong to nobody.
Give each important task one person who will complete it and one clear completion point. “Kitchen ready after breakfast” is easier to act on than “everyone remember the appliances.” The person coordinating the plan does not have to do every job.
Use three preparation stages
Several days before leaving, settle arrangements requiring another person's agreement: visits, access, delivery changes and any necessary repair appointment. The evening before, finish tasks that will stay finished, such as sorting perishables and placing the return keys where the traveller can reach them. Immediately before departure, check things that may have been used again, such as cooking appliances and windows.
This sequence prevents premature ticking. An iron checked at night may be used the following morning. A rubbish bag taken out early does not include the breakfast waste added later.
Give children age-appropriate tasks such as returning library books to a bag, tidying their own belongings or checking that a packed item is ready. Keep responsibility for technical checks and securing the home with a capable adult.
Make completion visible
Use one shared note or a sheet in a familiar place. Record done, waiting or no action needed. A task awaiting a contractor should remain visibly unresolved until the arrangement is confirmed.
The useful question is not whether the list looks complete. It is whether the named person has actually finished the job and whether anyone subsequently changed the condition being checked.
CHAPTER 3 OF 16 · Agree the household handover
3. Check keys and authorized access while everyone is available
A helper's willingness is only useful if they can reach the place where the agreed task happens. Confirm the building entrance, lift access where relevant, home entrance and any internal door needed for the visit. Do this while you can demonstrate the arrangement calmly.
The Singapore Police Force's housebreaking guidance advises closing and locking doors and windows when leaving home. Include that check in the final departure routine, with responsibility assigned to the last person out.
Test the actual arrangement
If you provide a spare key, check that it works in the intended lock and agree how it will be kept and returned. If a digital lock supports temporary access, follow its instructions and test the chosen method before departure. Do not assume a feature exists because another lock has it.
Check access rules applying to the property, particularly where a tenancy, shared household or managed building affects visitors. Give the helper the information needed for their agreed visit. Avoid passing a collection of unrelated keys or broad account access when a narrower arrangement will do.
Keep the returning traveller able to get in
A family can arrange access for the helper and still forget its own return. Decide who carries the return key and whether that person is on the earliest flight home. A key buried in another traveller's suitcase creates a preventable problem after separate arrivals.
Ask the helper what happens if the agreed entry method fails. They should contact the named person rather than improvise entry. Resolve a sticking lock or access uncertainty before the trip through an appropriate service. A holiday departure is a poor moment to experiment with unfamiliar equipment.
CHAPTER 4 OF 16 · Agree the household handover
4. Give the trusted contact a small, usable household note
A home contact needs a task, a time and a way to reach you. They do not necessarily need your complete itinerary, booking references, financial information or every household document. Share what supports the job you have agreed.
A useful note identifies the expected absence, the visit or collection arrangements, the preferred contact method and the alternative person to contact if you cannot answer. If an appliance must remain powered, name it clearly. If the helper is collecting a parcel, identify the expected delivery without granting general authority to accept purchases.
Distinguish observation from responsibility
“Please water these two plants according to the note and tell us if anything looks unusual” defines a manageable role. “Please take care of everything” leaves the helper guessing about repairs, spending, deliveries and the rest of the household.
Agree what ordinary purchases, if any, you would reimburse. Give a simple limit for those agreed purchases and say who can approve anything beyond them. A spending agreement does not turn a friend into an electrician, plumber or emergency responder.
Make communication easy to recognize
Use a contact route both parties already know, and tell the helper about an alternative before you travel. If a request arrives from an unfamiliar account, confirm it through the known route before changing access or sending money.
Keep the household note readable on a phone and available to the person who needs it. A carefully organized document stored only on your laptop at home will not help a neighbour standing outside your door. Remove outdated versions so a changed return time does not compete with the original plan.
CHAPTER 5 OF 16 · Prepare the home systems
5. Decide which equipment must keep operating
“Switch everything off” is an incomplete household instruction. Start by identifying what the home still needs to do while you are away. Food storage, agreed animal care, security functions and the needs of anyone remaining at home can depend on powered equipment.
EMA's electricity conservation guidance recommends switching off unused appliances at the socket and unplugging chargers when unused. Apply the word “unused” carefully: equipment performing an agreed function during your absence is still being used.
Make an equipment decision, not a blanket rule
| Equipment or situation | Decision to make before leaving | What the household should verify |
|---|---|---|
| Refrigerator or freezer holding food | Keep the required storage operating | Supply remains available and the door is properly closed |
| Equipment supporting a person staying home | Preserve the person's agreed arrangements | The resident and appropriate adviser have confirmed what is needed |
| Aquarium or other animal-care equipment | Follow the animal's established care plan | The caregiver understands the equipment and its dependencies |
| Router serving a needed connected device | Check what depends on the connection | Turning it off will not defeat an arrangement you intend to keep |
| Television or computer with no planned use | Switch off as appropriate to the device | Any required shutdown is completed and nobody needs it remotely |
| Unused chargers and portable devices | Finish charging and disconnect as appropriate | No unattended charging has been left running for the trip |
The table is a decision aid. It does not replace equipment instructions or confirm that any particular installation is suitable for unattended operation.
Trace the dependency before changing a switch
A router might support an agreed monitoring function. A switched extension socket might supply both an unused screen and a necessary device. Look at the actual arrangement instead of assuming every socket serves one purpose.
Do not use a holiday checklist as a reason to switch off the home's entire electrical supply. If you are uncertain about an installation or a proposed shutdown, ask a licensed electrical worker. Leave a short record of what intentionally remains on so the last person out does not reverse the decision.
CHAPTER 6 OF 16 · Prepare the home systems
6. Finish cooking, charging and ordinary appliance use
The final appliance check should follow the last use. Breakfast, ironing and charging a travel phone can all happen after most packing is complete. Build a small gap between those activities and walking out of the door.
The SCDF Emergency Handbook advises against unattended cooking, overloaded outlets and leaving batteries or devices charging unattended for extended periods. It also directs users to follow manufacturers' instructions. These are useful departure checks without inventing a new technical routine.
Deal with a fault before it becomes a holiday task
If you notice a damaged socket, frayed cable or other defect, stop treating the item as an ordinary checklist entry. Arrange appropriate assessment. Do not leave a message asking a visiting friend to tape a cable, open a fitting or find a way to make faulty equipment work.
EMA's electrical safety guidance directs consumers to licensed electrical workers for electrical installation work and technical advice. The relevant advice depends on the actual installation.
Keep the last check simple
Confirm that cooking is finished, unused appliances are switched off appropriately and charging intended for the journey has ended. Check the agreed list of equipment remaining on. The two checks belong together: unnecessary operation should stop, while essential functions should continue as planned.
For existing maintenance concerns, use the home maintenance calendar and preventive repairs guide. Schedule technical work with enough time to confirm the outcome before leaving. The departure morning should mainly confirm decisions already made.
CHAPTER 7 OF 16 · Prepare the home systems
7. Address visible water problems without improvising repairs
Look at places where the household has already noticed dripping, dampness or an unreliable fitting. A known concern deserves attention before everyone becomes harder to reach. Record what you can observe and arrange the appropriate help; you do not need to diagnose the hidden cause yourself.
PUB's plumbing guidance distinguishes regulated water service and sanitary plumbing work, which requires licensed plumbers, from specified simple work. Ask for qualified help where the work requires it and make sure the scope is understood.
Resolve the actual condition
An active leak and a sound installation are different situations. Do not copy a blanket instruction to shut off all water before every trip. Some homes have occupants, care arrangements or equipment requiring a supply; the appropriate action depends on the installation and what is happening.
If you need advice about isolation or an existing problem, obtain it from the relevant qualified person before departure. Do not force an unfamiliar valve or ask a helper to dismantle anything. In a shared building, identify whether a concern belongs with the household, owner, managing agent or other responsible party.
Leave the useful information
For a recently repaired problem, keep the service contact, the description of work and any follow-up instructions accessible. Tell an agreed helper about a relevant observation they should report, without asking them to certify that the repair is sound.
If there is unresolved work, decide whether it can safely wait based on appropriate advice. A departure deadline does not settle that question. When the answer changes your home arrangements, update the travel plan or arrange the necessary attendance before assuming the house is ready to leave.
CHAPTER 8 OF 16 · Prepare the home systems
8. Remove stagnant water and make plant care precise
Plants need an arrangement that suits the particular plants and absence. A balcony full of pots and one indoor plant do not require the same plan. Ask the person who normally cares for them what needs doing, then show the helper which plants and containers are included.
NEA's mosquito prevention guidance emphasizes checking for and removing stagnant water around the home. It also provides advice specifically for outbound travellers. Include accessible water-holding items in preparation rather than assuming a short trip makes the check unnecessary.
Avoid creating a new problem to solve an old one
Do not automatically fill extra trays and containers with standing water to keep plants supplied. Agree a method suited to the plants while following mosquito prevention advice. Follow current official instructions for your premises; a holiday checklist should not become an improvised pesticide recipe.
Show the helper where water comes from, where the plants are and how to leave the area afterwards. Give clear distinctions if some plants should be treated differently. “Water everything” can be less useful than a short note identifying the few items that actually need attention.
Fit visits to the agreed care
Choose visits around actual needs and the helper's availability. There is no universal plant-check frequency for every Singapore household. If the necessary care does not fit the proposed trip, change the arrangement while there is time to do so.
Keep pots and supplies in agreed accessible places. Avoid leaving the helper to move heavy items, climb or reach somewhere awkward. At the handover, confirm what was last done so the first visitor does not unknowingly repeat it immediately.
CHAPTER 9 OF 16 · Finish the departure
9. Pause deliveries and finish the household's perishables
Open the actual delivery schedule. Include regular groceries, meal subscriptions, household supplies and purchases already in transit. The useful question is which item will arrive while nobody can receive or store it as intended.
For each delivery, choose an available option: reschedule, pause, redirect with permission or arrange a specific recipient. Confirm the provider's rules and cutoff. A change requested after dispatch may not work, and a neighbour's general willingness to help does not mean they can receive bulky goods or store chilled food.
Separate a request from a confirmed change
Keep the confirmation where the household can find it. If the service has not accepted the change, leave the item on the open list and settle an alternative. Check the restart date too. Resuming a grocery order before the actual return recreates the problem you meant to solve.
Review food already at home before buying more for the departure week. Plan ordinary meals around what can be used, shared appropriately or otherwise dealt with before leaving. Keep food requiring refrigeration in the storage conditions it needs; the decision to leave the refrigerator on should match its contents.
Leave a manageable return
Deal with rubbish after the last meal and clear the tasks that will be unpleasant to meet at midnight. Avoid leaving a wet laundry load waiting for your return. Keep basic supplies you expect to use on arrival, without scheduling a fresh delivery that depends on an exact flight arrival.
For post or parcels that require collection, agree the particular job and any deadline. Do not assume the same person who waters plants has also agreed to manage every item addressed to the household.
CHAPTER 10 OF 16 · Finish the departure
10. Connect pet care and remaining residents to the home plan
A pet-care arrangement should determine what access, supplies, equipment and visits the home needs. The home checklist then supports that arrangement. It cannot establish by itself that an animal has suitable care during an absence.
Use the detailed Public Holidays 2027 guide to arranging pet care before travel for the care window, caregiver agreement, handover, costs and backup. Do not substitute extra food, a camera or a generic home visit for care matched to the animal.
Keep responsibilities separate and coordinated
If one person cares for the pet and another collects deliveries, explain where their tasks overlap. The delivery helper should know not to change equipment or access arrangements that the caregiver relies on. The caregiver should know which other authorized visitor might attend.
Arrange any care-specific instructions directly with the responsible caregiver and appropriate professional. This article does not set a feeding, medication or visit schedule. The practical home task is to make the established plan possible and to avoid accidentally interrupting it.
Respect the people who remain home
When another household member stays, ask what they need rather than treating their presence as permission to assign every job. Agree meals, deliveries and ordinary household responsibilities with them. An adult working long shifts may be home each day but unavailable for a particular collection window.
Leave the information they actually need about visiting helpers and equipment decisions. Make sure your security arrangements do not prevent their normal access. If a resident's plans change, reconsider the household absence window and the tasks that previously depended on them. Update the people involved before the change takes effect.
CHAPTER 11 OF 16 · Finish the departure
11. Give the last person out a short final circuit
A final circuit works best when earlier preparation is complete. It should confirm the present condition of the home, not launch several repairs and telephone negotiations while transport waits downstairs.
| When | What to settle | What completion means |
|---|---|---|
| Several days before departure | Access, visits, service changes and necessary professional help | The relevant person or provider has accepted the arrangement |
| The evening before | Food, supplies, household note and return keys | Items are ready and unresolved questions remain visible |
| After the final meal and charging | Cooking, unused appliances, rubbish and travel devices | The last use has ended and the appropriate checks are complete |
| Immediately before the last person leaves | Doors, windows and equipment intentionally remaining on | The actual departure condition matches the household plan |
| Once the household has left | Send the agreed departure confirmation | The helper knows the absence has begun |
Leave time for one interruption
Choose a departure sequence that has room for a forgotten item or a child needing the toilet. If someone opens a checked window or uses the cooker again, the relevant check needs doing again. It does not require restarting every unrelated task.
The last person out should know which checks others have already finished and which remain theirs. If responsibility changes, say so directly. A message such as “I am leaving first; you are now doing the final kitchen and door check” needs an acknowledgement.
Record completion without turning it into surveillance
A simple confirmation can be enough: the agreed checks are done, the home is secured and the departure time is current. Photos may help record a particular arrangement, but they do not replace seeing what was actually checked.
Keep private information out of widely shared group messages. Send the useful confirmation to the people responsible, then let the holiday begin.
CHAPTER 12 OF 16 · Finish the departure
12. Agree what changes when the return changes
A delayed flight does not automatically mean somebody must make another home visit. First identify which agreed task or care arrangement is affected. Food storage may continue as before, while a scheduled collection or animal-care handover may need immediate rearrangement.
Tell the relevant person as soon as the change is clear enough to affect their task. Give the revised home arrival estimate and ask whether they can accept any additional work. A favour agreed for Sunday does not extend itself into Monday.
Check who will be home first
When travellers return separately, a delay can change the first person back. That person needs the key, current household note and enough information to resume the agreed responsibilities. The person with the latest flight need not remain the centre of every decision.
If nobody can extend a necessary arrangement, contact the pre-agreed alternative or change the travel plan as appropriate. Avoid solving an uncertain return by sending access information to someone who has not accepted the job or whose role has not been established.
Define the end of the helper's role
Use arrival home, followed by an explicit handback, as the practical finish. The helper should not have to infer that you landed from a social-media photograph. Confirm when you are present and able to take over.
For paid services, check extension charges and availability in advance. For unpaid help, discuss the same timing question respectfully. Keep a modest contingency allocation if useful, but distinguish money reserved from money actually owed. The examples below show how those differences affect a real household timetable.
CHAPTER 13 OF 16 · Apply and close the plan
13. Worked example: a National Day trip with one agreed home visit
Imagine a family leaving on Friday 6 August 2027 at 6.30pm and reaching home on Monday 9 August at 9pm. National Day falls on Monday 9 August, according to the MOM holiday announcement. Their Friday work arrangements and the children's availability are separately confirmed for this invented example.
The home is empty for 74½ hours: 72 hours from Friday evening to Monday evening, followed by another 2½ hours. The journey includes three nights away and touches four calendar dates. “A three-day holiday” would be an imprecise description for someone arranging access.
Prepare the jobs that fit this home
There are no pets, and the family has agreed that two plants need attention on Sunday. A neighbour accepts that particular visit, tests the spare key on Wednesday and receives a short note. The agreement does not include receiving deliveries or managing repairs.
A regular grocery order is confirmed for Tuesday 10 August instead of Saturday. The family finishes the food that needs using and leaves the refrigerator operating with its remaining contents. They identify unused devices to switch off and leave the agreed household equipment unchanged.
One adult is responsible for the final check after the last snack and phone charge. The second adult handles bags and the children's departure. This avoids both adults assuming that the other checked the kitchen while everyone was looking for shoes.
Follow through on the return
On Sunday, the neighbour confirms that the agreed plant task is complete. No one adds a new list of errands merely because the neighbour has a key.
At 9pm on Monday, the family arrives, takes back responsibility and confirms this to the neighbour. They arrange the key's return as agreed. The Tuesday grocery order still suits their actual presence. The plan succeeds through a few completed decisions, with the helper's commitment kept small and clear.
CHAPTER 14 OF 16 · Apply and close the plan
14. Worked example: staggered May departures and a changed first return
Consider a second invented household. One adult and a child leave on Wednesday 19 May 2027 at 6pm. Another adult leaves on Thursday 20 May at 7am. Vesak Day is Thursday 20 May; any leave or school arrangements on surrounding dates are separately assumed to have been confirmed.
The first pair expects to reach home on Sunday 23 May at 8pm. The second adult expects to return on Monday 24 May at 11am. The house is therefore empty from Thursday at 7am until Sunday at 8pm: 85 hours, or three days and 13 hours.
Assign the final check to the actual last departure
The Wednesday travellers finish their own preparation and pass over the current note. They cannot truthfully mark the home ready for its absence while someone will still cook, charge devices and use the home overnight.
The Thursday traveller completes the final checks after breakfast. They keep their own return key. A trusted helper has accepted two specific plant-care visits, on Friday and Sunday, based on this household's established plant needs. This is an example arrangement, not a recommended frequency for every home.
The invented budget separates planned costs from a reserve:
| Item | Illustrative amount |
|---|---|
| Two accepted visits at S$30 each | S$60 |
| Agreed transport reimbursement for the advance key handover | S$12 |
| Plant-care supplies actually required | S$8 |
| Planned spending | S$80 |
| Separate contingency reserve | S$40 |
| Total money allocated | S$120 |
Recalculate when the first flight changes
The first pair's arrival moves to Monday at 10pm. The other adult still reaches home at 11am that Monday and becomes the first returner. The empty-home period is now 100 hours, an extension of 15 hours from the original 85.
The household checks the tasks affected. If the existing arrangement remains sufficient until Monday morning, an extra visit is unnecessary and planned spending remains S$80. The S$40 reserve remains unspent; it is not a service fee.
If an additional agreed task genuinely requires a further visit, the household first confirms availability and price. At an invented S$30 for that accepted visit, total spending becomes S$110 and S$10 of the reserve remains. Neither the extension nor the price is automatic.
The adult returning at 11am receives the latest note and closes the helper's role on arrival. The lesson is practical: update the first person home and the affected responsibilities, then spend only on arrangements actually needed and accepted.
Should I switch off the main electricity before travelling?
Do not use that as a universal holiday instruction. Establish what must continue operating and follow the actual equipment and installation requirements. If you need technical advice about the supply or a shutdown, consult a licensed electrical worker. An unused charger and a refrigerator storing food require different decisions.
Should I turn off the home's entire water supply?
There is no single instruction suitable for every occupied or empty home. Consider the actual installation, known problems and any continuing needs. Obtain appropriate advice where necessary. Do not force unfamiliar controls or treat a general article as instructions for plumbing work.
Does a nearby relative need a key for every short trip?
Choose access according to the tasks you are arranging. A relative who only needs to be contacted may not need entry. Someone who accepts an indoor care visit needs a tested, authorized method. Discuss the role first, then provide the access it requires.
Is a connected camera enough to check the home?
A device may support a particular arrangement, but it cannot perform physical tasks or replace a caregiver. Decide who receives any relevant alert and what they have agreed to do. Account for the device's power and connection needs without treating its presence as a guarantee.
Can we ask one neighbour to handle everything?
Ask about specific tasks and timing. Plant care, parcels and access for a service appointment are separate commitments. Give the person room to decline. If the request becomes substantial, divide it sensibly or arrange appropriate paid help with confirmed terms.
Must somebody visit an empty home every day?
This guide does not set a universal visit frequency. Actual care needs, household conditions and relevant service or policy requirements determine the arrangement. Check those before travelling. A home with animals or somebody needing support cannot be planned as if it were simply an empty flat.
What if a helper reports a fault while we are away?
Understand the observation and contact the appropriate professional or responsible party. Do not ask the helper to attempt technical repairs. For an immediate danger, use the relevant emergency guidance and services; avoid making a visitor wait for your approval before seeking urgent help.
Should I change my insurance for a public holiday trip?
Check the policy you actually hold if the absence raises a question about its conditions. Do not assume a universal rule or buy duplicate cover without understanding it. The HDB flat insurance, fire cover and home contents guide provides the broader decision context.
CHAPTER 16 OF 16 · Apply and close the plan
16. Return, check the home and close the arrangement
When you return, first establish that the home is in an ordinary condition before starting the usual routine. If you notice something concerning, avoid investigating through improvised electrical or plumbing work. Use the relevant official guidance and appropriate assistance for what you observe.
For example, PUB explains that discoloured water can occur after water has stood in service pipes during infrequent use, including a holiday absence. Follow its current drinking-water guidance if that occurs. A general return checklist cannot identify the cause of every change you might find.
Complete the handback
Tell the helper you are home and taking over. Ask whether any agreed task remains outstanding, settle authorized expenses and arrange the return of keys or removal of temporary access as agreed. Confirm the next delivery date and resume any paused service only when it fits the household's actual plans.
Check care handovers directly with the responsible person. Record one useful improvement for the next trip: an unclear appliance label, a delivery cutoff missed or a return key carried by the wrong traveller. Keep the revised note short enough to use again.
Continue preparing the holiday
Use the long-weekend packing checklist for what travels with you and the pet-care planning guide for the animal's complete care arrangement. For work needed around the flat, continue with the home maintenance and preventive repairs guide.
Your finished home plan should answer four questions plainly: who leaves last, what must continue, who has accepted any help, and who takes over first on return. Once those answers match the actual household, the departure becomes easier to finish and the return easier to manage.